Mayor de Blasio, in Iowa, Cites ‘Rampant Inequality’ in U.S.

The tall man from out of town came dressed in the colors of the flag, carrying a message of woe about the nation: Washington, he lamented, was out of touch; working-class people were hurting; and political parties had “a lot of explaining to do.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, on a visit to this Midwest city on Thursday, often sounded a lot like the national player he aspires to be, delivering a fiery speech about the dangers of income inequality and calling for a revival of progressive-era politics.

He criticized Washington for its failure to address “rampant inequality” and said the “hyper-concentration of wealth is un-American,” one of several memorable lines that he added to his prepared remarks.

But even as Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, sought to transcend the limits of his municipal office, espousing his brand of Brooklyn liberalism in a state 1,100 miles from home, it was hard to escape the nuisances of his day job. . .

The mayor’s national tour — he was in Nebraska on Wednesday, and is expected to be in Milwaukee, Washington and California soon — is an effort to jump-start a national liberal coalition that might influence the presidential race.

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